Former Sen. Bob Dole gave retired Gen. Eric Shinseki a thumbs-up as the former Senate majority leader arrived for Shinseki's January 2009 confirmation hearing to be Veterans Affairs Secretary.

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Former Sen. Bob Dole is recovering from pneumonia and knee surgery, according to reports.

From Politico.com's report, it sounds like the 1996 Republican presidential nominee and one-time Senate majority leader, is truly improving. They even have him working from his hospital room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Dole, the 1996 GOP presidential nominee, has gotten past his struggle with pneumonia and, according to a source, is back to working and making calls from the hospital on behalf of his clients at the law firm Alston & Bird.

"Thanks to the great doctors and nurses at Walter Reed, I am making great strides, working between sessions and hope to be fully recovered and back at the office in a few weeks," Dole said in a statement to POLITICO.

Dole, 86, was hospitalized at Walter Reed for more than a week last summer after experiencing an elevated heart rate. He was also treated for sores on his left leg.